1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and playback apparatus relating to a storage medium on which signals are recorded using at least a magnetic head, and a recording controlling method particularly suitable for such a recording and playback apparatus. Also, the present invention relates to a program for implementing such a recording and playback apparatus and recording controlling method, and a recording medium having recorded the program thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known regarding storage media on which signals are recorded using a magnetic head, such as hard disks, that recording performance is degraded at low temperature due to magnetic characteristics.
For example, recording and playback apparatuses including hard disk drives (HDDs), intended for automotive applications or portable applications, are supposed to be used outdoors, so that the degradation of recording performance at low temperature is considered to be particularly problematic.
In some recording and playback apparatuses including HDDs, intended for portable applications, it is possible with the apparatuses alone to perform editing such as editing a title, editing a play list, or removing a file, so that such editing can be performed outdoors.
Such editing operations involve recording of file management information. Thus, when the operations are performed outdoors at low temperature, management data could get corrupted. If management data gets corrupted, playback of a file could be disabled, need for reformatting could arise, or other problems could occur.
Thus, for example, a temperature sensor is provided for an HDD, and control is exercised so that recording operations are not allowed below a predetermined temperature.
That is, with reference to a predetermined temperature value defined as a recording permitting temperature, recording operations are not allowed below the temperature value while recording operations are allowed at or above the temperature value, so that corruption of data by recording operations at low temperature can be prevented.
As a related art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-148902 describes techniques for heating an HDD at low temperature to raise the temperature quickly to the recording permitting temperature.